Press release, 07.04.2015
The Department of Transport changed its mind on YABLOKO’s proposal to impose an SMS-warning system on towing of vehicles which will allow the drivers to displace their car so it won’t be towed. This runs in the letter to Sergei Mitrokhin from the Moscow Department of Transport signed by Deputy Mayor Maxim Lyskutov. Deputy Mayor claims that law prohibits to forcefully create the telephone data base of car owners.

However, on February 9, 2015, YABLOKO received a letter signed by head of Moscow Department of Transport Maxim Lyskutiv saying that YABLOKO’s proposal will be imposed. The press service of the Department confirmed the information the next day. The calculations of the Department of Transport have shown that it’s possible to give drivers 16 minutes to displace their car. YABLOKO proposed 15 minutes.

Today Sergei Mitrokhin forwarded an application to Deputy Mayor explaining that technical changes in the vehicle towing prosidure don’t demand changes in the federal legislation.

YABLOKO also proposed a number of measures to improve the towing-system in Moscow:

– to prohibit towing in cases where a road sign is contrary to the parking layout , as well as when a vehicle is parked in a parking pocket. Such ambiguous situations, the so-called “parking traps “, must be unequivocally interpreted in favor of a driver.

– to conduct a check of all the city areas where parking of vehicles is prohibited, eliminate the “parking traps”, as well as justify the use of marks “stop is forbidden” in each case.

– to eliminate the practice of mandatory fees for the towing as a condition to bring back a vehicle. A driver must get the opportunity to pay for services at a convenient time